The brother of Maria Lutz, the mother who was killed along with her husband and two children in a suspected murder-suicide last week, has arrived in Australia.
Juan Lutz Pena wants to know why his “deeply upset” sister would call the Department of Family and Community “nine times a day” without anyone doing anything about it.
Fernando Manrique, 44, his wife Maria Claudia Lutz, 43, and the couple’s two children Martin, 10, and Eliza, 11 along with their family dog were all found dead inside the home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches last Monday.
Police are investigating whether Manrique was behind the deaths in an apparent murder-suicide.
In the lead up to her death it has been revealed Ms Lutz was struggling to cope with looking after her two severely disabled children.
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Juan is deeply upset by the death of his sister and wants to know why the relationship between Family and Community Services broke down,” a source close to the family told the Daily Telegraph.
“He was very close to Maria and, as a father himself, adored Elisa and Martin. He longed for them all to come back to Colombia to be close to family.”
Police reportedly discovered a network of pipes and gas bottles throughout the home, believed to have been installed by Manrique to gas his family.
Neighbours reported seeing the technology executive working on the roof with power tools over the weekend before the family’s deaths.
“He was right up on the roof replacing tiles and using power tools of sorts,” Neighbour Ofik Thomassian told News.com.au.
“He was cutting and banging and making all sorts of noise and pulling up tiles but I don’t really know what he was doing.”
A number of other neighbours have also confirmed seeing the father working on the roof over the weekend.
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